It is time for Greens to vote with their hearts
Election byline from Paul de Hoest, Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Harpenden & Berkhamsted
The most common position I am hearing on the doorsteps is that “we just want to get the Tories out”. However, the two leading opposition parties in the West Herts area, Labour and LibDem, are clawing votes from each other, not on the strength of their policies, but on the spurious claim that “they are the only party that can beat the Conservative candidate” and a vote for the other lot will “risk letting the Tory back in”.
As Greens we are used to voters liking our values and policies but falling for the temptation to vote for one of the other opposition parties in the hope that this can overturn the Tory candidate. In the former constituencies of South West Herts and Hitchen & Harpenden in recent campaigns both Labour and LibDems have beaten each other in the attempt to gather sufficient anti-Tory votes to win, and failing.
Corbyn’s Labour Party recorded their worst defeat for 60 years in 2019 whilst now the opinion polls forecast a runaway landslide Labour victory this time. Local elections suffer from very low turnouts and different voter motivations and so are a poor guide to General Election behaviour. In these circumstances there is no reliable basis upon which to decide which opposition party has the best chance of winning in this area in the event of a collapse in the Conservative vote.
Nevertheless, we are hearing Green minded people variously considering supporting Labour and LibDem. However, if Green leaning voters ‘lend’ their vote equally between Labour and LibDem then little is achieved other than artificially depressing the apparent voter support for Green progressive policies.
The Green Party is the only political party with net positive voter ratings
There are many good reasons for voters to ignore the superficial appeal of tactical voting and instead to vote according to their hearts and consciences.
First, the main opposition party will be the Conservatives and so it is vital that the opposition benches also include Green Party MPs. The Green Party is the only one that will challenge a timid Labour Government that has already committed itself to maintaining Tory economic austerity policies and watered down its Green investment programme. The Greens are targeting four seats around the country and there is a strong chance that some, or all, of these will be successful. The Green MP’s parliamentary challenge to Labour will be vastly strengthened the more voters around the country they can speak for. If the Green national share of the vote is only 5% then their impact would be much less than if the Green national vote share is 15%.
Second, the media take notice of national shares of the vote when allocating airtime to issues and spokespeople. If the Green vote is artificially depressed across the country, then there will be less Green views expressed everywhere in the media. Given the terrible ecological, climate, poverty and public services crises in this country it is vital that we maximise the media time given to discussing these issues and expressing Green views in all media outlets.
Thirdly, the successful parliamentary candidate represents all members of their constituency, not just their own voters. MPs are aware of how many votes the other parties receive in an election and will often adapt their positions according their perception of voter opinion. Even if the Green candidate does not win, a strong Green vote share will make MPs of all colours more likely to consider Green issues during their own parliamentary deliberations. We do often hear MPs supporting their own constituents even if this means sometimes going against their own party line?
Fourth, there is also a financial incentive. Opposition parties receive what is known as “short money” named after Ted Short, a Labour Minister in the Harold Wilson Government of 1974. These are funds provided to opposition parties to help fund their activities (such as research into policy issues) in order to be an effective opposition. The amount of funding is primarily determined by the total number of votes cast for each opposition party in the most recent election. A 5% share of the vote would generate approximately £400,000 whereas a 15% share of the vote would increase this Short money to £1.2m. This could make a massive difference to the effectiveness of Green opposition challenges. In every individual seat, candidates require at least 5% share of the vote in order to retain their £500 deposit. If Green voters refrain from voting Green so that the vote share drops below 5% then this could cost up to £300,000 to party funds. The Greens are not funded by wealthy corporate, or Trades Union sponsors: almost all of our funds come from individual members, friends and family.
For decades the Green vote has been artificially suppressed and the result is that western governments have done too little too late to address the climate and ecological crises: we have already surpassed 1.5 degree warming, our waters are full of sewage, wildlife has been decimated and our crops are failing. If your conviction is that it is high time that this country had a more powerful Green voice in politics then I urge you to go with that conviction and Vote Green in this General Election.
Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read this article.
Paul de Hoest
Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Harpenden & Berkhamsted
(Previously stood as Green Party Candidate for South West Hertfordshire, a seat that has been altered by the boundary commission to create the new seat of Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
3rd June 2024
Promoted by Rose Sheridan on behalf of Dacorum Green Party, at PO Box 78066, London. SE16 9GQ